A Narrative of Voyages and Travels, in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres: Comprising Three Voyages Round the World; together with a Voyage of Survey and Discovery, in the Pacific Ocean and Oriental Islands.

Delano, Amasa. Boston: E. G. House, for the Author, 1817.
  • Whalemen's Reading
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ABEBooks Description: First edition. Delano, an American mariner and author from Duxbury, Massachusetts, made several voyages to various parts of the Pacific including Hawaii, Palau, the Galapagos Islands, Manila, Canton and Macao, New Guinea, Australia, the East Indies, Chile and Peru. His ".opportunity for fame and fortune came in 1790. A new ship, the "Massachusetts", weighing 900 tons and 116 feet long, had been built at Quincy to engage in the recently opened and much-talked-about China trade. Delano booked on as second officer and began keeping the journal that would form the basis of his [this book]. He published this lengthy--about 600 pages--yet readable and frequently exciting story in Boston, and it was reprinted several times in the nineteenth century" (DNB). "A Narrative." reveals Delano's open-minded curiosity and respect for the diverse cultures he encountered. It includes a unique account of the "Bounty" and Captain Bligh, accompanied by the map and views of Pitcairn's Island. The source for Herman Melville's short story, "Benito Cereno" is taken from one of Delano's adventures in which a Spanish ship is overrun by the slaves it was transporting.